| June/July 2005 Stockton Home | President's Office Home |
Stockton-Zogby Poll Gains Worldwide Notice in Debut
The poll proved to be an instant hit with the media, generating more than 75 international media mentions according to a Google search shortly following its release. Among those outlets mentioning or carrying stories on Stockton’s new venture were CNN, CBS Evening News and the Associated Press. There were also mentions in gaming industry Internet sites, including one in Spanish and one in French. The Stockton-Zogby Poll provides several immediate benefits for the region and for the College, according to President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., who noted the tourism angle of the first poll had a direct tie with Stockton’s Hospitality Management program and its partnerships with the Atlantic City casino industry. “By gathering information of this nature, Stockton becomes a neutral gatekeeper of data which can be extremely useful to decision-makers in the region,” he said. “There hasn’t been a neutral source of this kind of information in Southern New Jersey before.” Additionally, the poll recognizes Stockton in a context as a driver of economic development in the region, and provides wider name recognition of the College in general.” The first poll released some interesting data. Some of the key findings:
$100,000 Endowment Added to Stockton’s Interdisciplinary Center for Hellenic Studies
The donation, made during recent ceremonies at the college, will honor a woman named Katerina Batouyious, who looked after Tsantes as a young boy in his homeland at the conclusion of World War II. The $100,000 endowment in Batouyious’ memory, combined with an additional $150,000 endowment and $400,000 previously donated to the Institute amounts to a $650,000 commitment to Hellenic Studies by the Greek community. The money is being used to fund professorships in history and religion, Greek language and literature, Greek history, Greek culture, and Byzantine civilization and religion. The donation was made through an ongoing relationship with the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture, an organization which helped found Stockton’s Institute in 2003. “The study of Greek culture and history helps prepare today’s students for the global economy, “President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. said. “Studying Greek history and philosophy gives students the roots,” he said. “From there, they learn how to adapt to the modern world.” In the meantime, Petros Tsantes is happy to honor Batouyious, his former caregiver, with the endowment in her name. “She took care of me and she was the one who brought me to America,” he said. “This seemed like the right way in which to honor her memory.”
Martin Berdinis, Class of 1988 Selected for
At the recent Spring Meeting of the Stockton Psychology Program, Martin Berdinis was conferred with the Eighth Annual Distinguished Psychology Alumni Award. Berdinis, who earned his B.A. in Psychology from Stockton in 1988, came to the college as a non-traditional student following previous careers as a weather observer for the United States Air Force and a candy maker for the Atlantic Coast Candy Company, and then as owner-operator of the successful Kandy Korner in Atlantic City. The firm, with up to 15 employees and annual sales in excess of $750,000 per year, was a big success. But he sold the business in 1984 in order to return to school. First he attended Atlantic Community College (Now Atlantic Cape Community College,) then Stockton, and finally Widener University, where he earned a Masters of Science in Human Resource Management (1990.) Berdinis is now Senior Adjunct Advisor at ACCC and also teaches Social Psychology in Stockton’s Sociology Program. Specializing in student-centered and experimental learning, as well as innovative approaches to distance education, Berdinis recently developed a web-based “Online Psychology Club” for ACCC, because the commuter status of the students made face-to-face meetings impractical. Berdinis derives great joy from teaching, and one of his support letters sums up the respect and admiration of his students: “They say he’s tough,” the letter began, “but they also tell me they’ve never learned so much in a class. They want to take any (class) he teaches. And he hears from the students years after they have graduated.” Jaime Taylor Named to ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All-American Track and Field Squad
Stockton senior track and field performer Jaime Taylor is upholding the Stockton tradition of the outstanding student-athlete. Taylor, who competes in the high jump and triple jump for the Ospreys, accumulated a 3.953 grade point average with a major in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and a minor in Physics. On the field of competition, she won the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) outdoor high jump championship in 2004 and 2005, as well as the indoor crowns in the conference for the high jump and triple jump in 2005. She also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships this year and holds the school records in the high jump both indoors (5’3”) and outdoors (5’4 1/2”.) For her accomplishments in the classroom and athletically, Taylor was named to the 2005 ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All-America team. The team was chosen and announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America. With her selection to the Third Team, Taylor joins 2004 honoree Kim Marino (women’s pole vault) as Stockton’s second Academic All-American. Master of Arts in Instructional Technology Showcase Students’ Training
The name of the event was appropriate as students showcased innovative uses of the latest advances in technology for teaching and learning. Presented annually since the first MAIT student earned her advanced degree in 1999, this year’s event gave the students an opportunity to share their work, and display their talents with faculty, fellow students and the local community. The Showcase also provides successful models for current MAIT students who are thinking about their own possible projects. Attended by approximately 100 people, the Showcase featured individual students giving brief presentations/demonstrations of their work to the whole group. The presentations were followed by concurrent poster sessions, where attendees who wanted further information could speak with each presenter in more depth. Attendees also gathered for informal discussions during the reception. This semester’s showcase featured the following 14 presentations:
The MAIT Founders’ Award is bestowed upon the graduating student whose project best exemplifies the theories, principles, and technical skills learned in the program. This year’s award was presented to Jené Sokol.
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